Throat-clear
A throat-clear is a sound made at the back of the throat[1] by tightly constricting the laryngopharyngeal tissues and vibrating the palatoglossal arch and the vocal folds while exhaling thru the nose;[2] this may be done with the mouth slightly opened or completely closed.
The throat-clear is articulated as a single-syllable exclamation, written onomatopoeiacally as "hem";[3] or it may be articulated as a double-syllable sound, written as "ahem",[4] which is expressed by inhaling slightly and then exhaling more forcibly.
Paralanguage[edit]
The deliberately executed throat-clear is a nonverbal, paralingual form of metacommunication.[5]
Upper respiratory[edit]
The throat-clear may be articulated consciously or unconsciously[6] as a symptom of a number of laryngopharyngeal (upper respiratory tract) ailments.[7]
Voice[edit]
Continual throat-clearing is a symptom of chronically dry vocal cords, caused by insufficiently produced amounts of mucus due to inadequate amounts of water and by excessive amounts of caffeine and alcohol.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/clear-your-throat
- ^ http://www.healthhype.com/throat-anatomy-throat-parts.html
- ^ Form Miming Meaning, Nänny & Fischer, 1999:137, https://books.google.com/books?id=fLrIl-uPoQ8C&pg=PA137&lpg=PA137&dq=onomatopoeia+words+ahem+hem&source=bl&ots=po5mSeP_lB&sig=Z1F7wuj8p95yv7SpV5Fa4tgRfLg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwilgpqE7InPAhUFSCYKHXwMBP8Q6AEIUzAP#v=onepage&q=onomatopoeia%20words%20ahem%20hem&f=false
- ^ http://m.writtensound.com/index.php?term=human
- ^ http://www.onomatopoeialist.com/ahem/
- ^ http://www.dictionary.com/browse/unconsciously
- ^ https://www.healthgrades.com/symptoms/throat-clearing
- ^ "Throat Spray Clearner". Retrieved 2017-01-08.
